Cues,+Questions+&+Advance+Organizers

Read & Reflect
There are many ways to explain learning, but the theory of connectionism has always made perfect sense to me ([|http://www.iep.utm.edu/connect/#SH3a] ). It suggests that when we learn something we “connect” it to our existing neurological structures (aka schema). The old information processing model used a file cabinet as a metaphor. When we learned something, we “filed it” in our cognitive cabinet. When we needed to recall that information, we found the right cabinet, right drawer, right folder and eventually the correct file. Everyone had their own filing system that was influenced on common understanding and experiences. That theory helped explain issues of forgetting (i.e. I couldn’t find the right folder). But as we learned more about the human brain, we realized it was much more powerful than a hierarchical cabinet. Why did certain stimuli trigger certain memories? What made me think of something totally unrelated to the topic at hand? Could we really search our cognitive cabinets that quickly? New theories and neurological science led to more robust explanations of how we organize knowledge and learn. We now use the internet as a metaphor to think about the brain – full of hyper links that let us zoom all over. Knowledge is formed by connections between synapses in our brains (think massive hyper links). We build this network throughout our lives and the more experience we have the greater the connections and the deeper the network. We recall knowledge by “activating” one node which, in turn, activates the connecting nodes. We each have our own network that we construct individually; hence, we all have different connections among concepts. Now to answer the question. . .the entire purpose of cues and questions is to active that prior knowledge and fire up the network to accept new connections! []
 * What is the purpose of using cues and questions in the classroom?**

All the time. Almost anything can help activate prior knowledge, visual cues, songs, conversations, food, scents. The primary goal is to get students’ brains fired up related to the topic and it is my job to “engineer” new connections. What kinds of questions do I use with my students? Did you ever. . . . . What do you think of when I say “…” Remember when. . . . describe it to me. . . What would you do if I gave you this problem?
 * When do I use cues with my students?**

How to get teachers to use this strategy ALL THE TIME and how to get a curriculum that systematically activates and builds on prior knowledge like Bruner’s Sprial Curriculum []
 * What questions do I have about using cues and questions?**

AO not only help activate prior knowledge but they help facilitate the connections. They also guide students as they construct that knowledge by letting them see where there may be gaps (or breaks) in their “network” and help them work to correct it. An undergrad professor I had for a ready course once defined ready “as the process of comparing what I already know with what I read” and that the new information I am about to read is more efficiently learned (or connected) if I have existing knowledge to connect it to. Think how much faster it is to file something if I already have the cabinet, drawers and folders ready. If I don’t, I have to slow down and make them. AO like skimming are a way to make the cabinets and get the brain ready to form new connections.
 * What kinds of advance organizers do I use with my students?**

Concept maps, KWL sheets, prediction cards, story boards,. . . basically questions that activate their prior knowledge and help them map out connections for the new instruction.
 * What kinds of information do I include in advance organizers? Why do I include this information?**

How to keep them simple. AO can be very complicated. They scare teachers and kids and they can sometimes be too controlling in the organization of knowledge. How can I give learners control over the AO?
 * What questions do I have about using advance organizers?**

Apply & Reflect


I found Glogster a little tricky to use at first. Deleting the default images already on the canvas did not work for me. I had to find a way around it. I also had trouble getting the embeded code to work in the wiki. I was able to add the widget and paste the code, but the poster ran outside the wiki margins cutting off the right side of the image. So I sniped it using a screen capture tool and pasted it as an image.

I think having kids create a poster would be very helpful in both activating what their previous knowledge on a topic and letting me know 1) how to link now information to it and 2) fill in any gaps. I also think it is extremely helpful to have kids explain why the selected the pics they used in their poster.